Gulberg society massacre: 24 convicted, 36 acquitted

Ahmedabad, Jun 2: A special SIT court today convicted 24 and acquitted 36 as it pronounced its verdict in connection with a 2002 post-Godhra riots case of the Gulberg Society in which 69 persons including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri were killed.

Special Court Judge P B Desai delivered the judgement over eight months after the trial concluded on September 22, 2015. The Supreme Court, which was monitoring the case, had directed the SIT court to give its verdict by May 31.

Bipin Patel, who is a sitting BJP corporator from Asarva seat was acquitted by the court. He was also the corporator in 2002 when the massacre happened and won the election for a fourth consecutive term last year.

Of the 66 accused named by the SIT in the case, nine are behind bars for 14 years, while others are out on bail.

Last week, the court had turned down pleas moved by two accused--Narayan Tank and Babu Rathod--to conduct narco analysis and brain mapping tests on them to prove their innocence. The court maintained that it was not required when the verdict was imminent.

During the trial, riots victim's lawyer had argued that the massacre was a pre-planned criminal conspiracy hatched by the accused to kill minority community members of the Gulberg Society.

The defence had refuted the conspiracy theory of prosecution and claimed that the mob resorted to violence only after slain Congress MP Eshan Jafri fired several rounds on them.

The Gulberg Society case is one of the nine cases of the 2002 Gujarat riots probed by the Supreme Court appointed SIT.

The incident had taken place a day after S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express was burnt near the Godhra train station, where in 58 'karsevaks' were killed.

Comments

Why they acquitted who killed innocent kids and women in train ..third rated Muslims ..we need death sentence for 5000 Muslims for instigating riots in gujarath..soola maklu madidre they honoured perfect manual antbe ...evidence sigada haage entire Jana na Udaisi bidbekuthu ..traitor community ...

Leaders are all out of the case. Some followers only get the imprisonment.
Not a convincing judgement.

OUR GREAT INDIAN JUDICIARY !

BJP corporator BipinPatel acquitted, true face of BJP.

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Major facelift for Mangaluru's sporting heart: Mangala Stadium set for 2-month closure to upgrade synthetic track

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

Comments